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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · key · roll · game · wind · jam · scale · mine

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. roll — a list
  3. key — for a lock
  4. game — wild animals
  5. scale — in music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wind — moving air
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. key — in music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. scale — size or range
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — the most important part
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com